Columnist Gil Smart watches traffic at BJ's Wholesale Club in Jensen Beach and Sam's Club in Port St. Lucie on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017 to see what Palm City residents could expect if the proposed Costco is built. GIL SMART/TCPALM
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Residents against Costco building a new store in Palm City attended a Jan. 21, 2016 meeting with Martin County staff. On Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, Costco pulled its application to build in Palm City.(Photo: ERIC HASERT/TCPALM)Buy Photo

But in the process, I wonder if everyone else's way of life in Martin County didn't get a little bit worse.

To be sure, Costco representative Ernie Annibale and attorney Bob Raynes said opposition wasn't the only reason the Costco application got pulled. There were both "internal and external" factors, Annibale said.

"Time has a way of changing the landscape in retail," he said.

But opposition was one factor, something that always makes it harder — and more expensive — to get something built.

So Costco is looking at another site in Martin County. But it's also looking at a second site outside Martin County. Annibale wouldn't say where, but Port St. Lucie, which has promised to roll out the red carpet, might be it.

Because with Costco is up for grabs, Port St. Lucie is smart to try and grab it — even though Martin County Commissioner Ed Ciampi, whose district includes Palm City, said he's committed to helping Costco find another site in Martin County.

In losing Costco, perhaps permanently, Martin County might be losing these jobs.

Maybe for the wealthy folks in tony Palm City, $22 an hour is chump change. But there are a lot of chumps who would have been thrilled with that wage.

Consider also how Costco would have grown the tax base. Yes, traffic impacts might have cost local taxpayers, although that's the specific reason Martin County has an impact fee. Costco would have paid some $1.1 million in impact fees.

While there are no exact numbers for how much tax revenue the store would have generated, it would have been similar in size to the Walmart south of Stuart on U.S. 1, and likely would have generated comparable tax revenue.

Walmart paid $257,980 in real estate taxes in 2015. A significant chunk went to the Martin County School District — all without putting one additional kid behind a desk.

Then there's the fact that, as Ciampi noted, Costco is renowned for being a good corporate neighbor. Costco supports programs focused on children, education and health and human services.

If Costco ultimately lands in Martin County, maybe local groups will still benefit from such largesse.

Or if Costco winds up in Port St. Lucie, maybe Martin County groups can drive up I-95, hat in hand, and say, "Sure, we told you to get lost. But can we still have a few backpacks, please?"

So good job, folks. You just beat back one of the most progressive companies in America, the type of employer many communities trip over themselves to attract.

"But wait!" others will say. "It's not that we hate Costco, it's just the proposed site was a bad location! We'd support it somewhere else!"

And sure, maybe Costco will find another spot, a better spot, elsewhere in Martin County.

But one might not blame Costco were it to decide that since Martin County doesn't need it — it doesn't need us.

Gil Smart is a TCPalm columnist and a member of the Editorial Board. His columns reflect his opinion. Readers may reach him at gil.smart@tcpalm.com, by phone at 772-223-4741 or via Twitter at @TCPalmGilSmart.